Clippers can’t stop Mayo

His rapid-fire NBA start has not escaped notice, hitting double figures in every game, not even obscured by his struggling team winning five times in 19 games.

The players see it. And so do the officials, especially in the context that precocious rookie guard O.J. Mayo could have been rebounding from a loss to Oklahoma on Thursday had he stayed around for year No. 2 at USC. Instead, he was coming off a defeat against Atlanta on Wednesday

“Actually, when we were coming on to the court, one of the refs said they [the Trojans] could have used me last night,” Mayo said, smiling.

Mayo’s 20 points helped lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 93-81 victory over the often-desultory Clippers on Friday night at the FedEx Forum. One fan, sitting behind press row, gushed during Mayo’s 12-point first-quarter outburst: “That’s the new O.J.”

The Clippers are 0-3 on this four-game trip with the finale tonight against another fellow minnow, Minnesota. They managed a mere three offensive rebounds and had 17 turnovers against Memphis, which had been on a seven-game losing streak. And the Grizzlies reserves outscored the Clippers’ bench, 33-6.

“I thought we relaxed a little bit defensively and that gave them the opportunity on the offensive end to push the lead up,” said Baron Davis, who had 23 points and eight assists.

“We didn’t put enough defensive pressure on them tonight. It’s tough when there’s one or two guys and not the whole team playing pressure defense and with no defensive intensity.”

The Clippers went into a near sleepwalk mode after pulling to within three points early in the third quarter, cutting it to 51-48.

Memphis called a timeout with 10:37 left and promptly went on an 11-2 run.

“We just got killed on the boards,” Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “Their size really hurt us. They were able to control the glass and get up the court and score off our turnovers.”

There were equal opportunity struggles all around, but the kids had a rough go. Second-year man Al Thornton never quite found his range and was three for 13, scoring nine points, and rookie guard Eric Gordon went two for six, scoring seven points. And rookie guard Mike Taylor had an erratic five minutes in the second quarter and sat the rest of the game.

Mayo is familiar with the woes of a shaky team. Memphis already has lost 14 games, and Mayo’s Trojans dropped 12 all of last season. USC Coach Tim Floyd recently sent him a care package of school gear to help cheer him up during the losing streak.

Then there was this communication from a certain former teammate at USC.

“I always talk to James,” Mayo said. “That’s my guy. He hit me up before the game and said, ‘Don’t do too much.’ ”

That would be James Dunleavy, who is a walk-on at USC and Dunleavy’s son.

Family loyalty couldn’t help the Clippers. Mayo has scored in double figures in all 19 games this season, which matches Lamar Odom, in 1999-2000, for the longest stretch of double-figure games to start an NBA career since the 1997-98 season.

Still, the adjustment hasn’t been totally seamless for the rookie.

“It’s really tough, just traveling from different climates,” Mayo said.

“I was on the plane, getting in all kinds of hours, and playing that day. It takes a lot of rest. But it’s our job.

“Right now, when I’m here, I’m happy. I’m in my house, my own bed, my own home-cooked food. When you’re on the road, you miss home.”

Had the NBA grind made him forget where he is when he wakes up in the morning on the road?

“Not yet. Because I’ve been looking forward to certain cities,” Mayo said. “I think down the stretch, I’ll be asking that question.”

--

lisa.dillman@latimes.com